Cover for temporary binders and method of making the same



p 1937. c. D. TRUSSELL 2,092,541

COVER FOR TEMPORARY BINDERS AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed March 8, 1955 ATTQRNEYS Patented Sept. 7, 1937 COVER FOR TEMPORARY BINDERS AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Clarence D. Trussell, Poughkeepsie, N. Y., assignor to Trussell Manufacturing Company,

Poughkeepsie, N. Y., a corporation of New 1 York Application March 8, 1935, Serial No. 9,918

ing devices.

In general, books of the type above referred to include three essential parts, namely, a cover, a backing plate, and a ring, or other form of leaf binding mechanism. In the manufacture of such books it has been the practice to form the cover and backing plate as one unit; andthen to attach the binding mechanism to the backing plate. When the covers of such books are made of several plies of material, or of thick leather which may be split, relatively little trouble is encountered in securing the backing plateto the cover. However, when the cover is made of thin leather, or of a single-ply leathersubstitute, then the problem of attaching the ring mechanism becomes more diflicult. One methodof solving this difficulty is shown "in Patent No. 1,802,794, wherein the cover is grasped between the backing plate and the binding mechanism. In this form the exposed metal backing plate has been objected to as unsightly, and further, as constituting a menace to the highly polished surface of a desk or table-on which the book rests.

An object of the invention is to provide a book cover made of single-ply material, or thin leather, in which no metal parts protrude through the Another object of the invention is to provide a book cover which may be fabricated without ineluding either the backing plate or the binding mechanism, whereby such covers may be conven- 8 Claims.

iently stacked in flat form to await their use.

A further object of the invention is to provide a singleeply cover which may be used with a spurred backing plate of the type shown in Patent the accompanying'drawing, in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the-inside of a binder incorporating the principles of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the outside of'the binder of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional View taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 showing a ring mechanism in dotted lines; 1

Fig. '11s a plan view of the binding strip of. Fig.

1, and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the binding strip shown in Fig. 4.

In the drawing, similar designations referring to similar parts, numeral ll! designates a book cover, of which II is the. back, and l2, l2 are the sides. Preferably the back and sides are formed from one piece of thin leather, or of single-ply fabric. The outer surface of the cover is embossed, or printed, with a number of lines l3, one purpose of which is to improve the appearance of the book. While the exact positioning of the lines is a matter of taste, it is important that longitudinal lines 13av should substantially define the junction between the sides [2 andback l i; that longitudinal lines I311 should be relatively close to lines l3a the distance varying with the size of the binder; and that transverse lines I30 should be relatively close to the top and bottom edges of cover. Since the material is quite thin, it is apparent that these lines will also appear on the inside of the cover, as is shown in Fig. 1. Using the lines l3a, l3b as guides, two metal stays l4 may be cemented as at 15 to the inside of the cover. (See Figs. 1 and 3.) These stays, as will later appear, are for the purpose of protecting the book against indentation, and consequent wear, by the rings or other binding mechanism. A binding strip 16, composed of a piece of single-ply material having a central slit I! therein, is then superimposed upon the inside of the cover Ill, this strip being of sufiicient size to cover the area bounded by lines 131) and I30. Dabs of paste at the corners of the binding strip may be utilized as a means for temporarily holding the strip in this position. The cover is then turned over, and using the lines l3a, 13b and E30 as guides (see Figs. 1, 2 and 3) the binding strip I6 is stitched firmly in place. Thus, as is seen in Fig. 3, the stays are held not only by the cement 15, but also by the pocket formed between the cover and the binding strip; and further, the binding strip is properly secured to the cover. It is apparent from the foregoing that the lines 1% generally serve not only as a means for improving the appearance of the cover, but also, and more important, that some of these lines, 30., l3band 130:, for example, serve as guides whereby the stays and binding strip may be properly positioned on the inside of the cover, and the binding strip stitched in place from the outside thereof. If desired, the covers may now be piled flat and stored until such time as it is desirable to insert the backing plate, and to attach the binding mechanism in the manner hereinafter described. The backing plate It (see Figs. 1 and 3) may be composed of a strip of fairly heavy metal, rounded to a desired curvature and stamped to form a plurality of sharp spurs I9 upturned along one or more lines displaced from the center line of the backing plate; and further stamped to provide the tongues 20, which will later be used to clamp the binding mechanism in place. Preferably, the plate iii is slightly shorter than the back I! (Fig. 1). Generally, the spurs I9 and tongues 2d are formed in a single stamping operation. The spurs l9, preferably, are slightly inclined toward the center of the backing plate, for a purpose which will appear hereinafter. The backing plate, as a whole, is now inserted in.- the binder through the slit I'I. The binder is then placed in a suitable press and force is applied, whereupon the spurs cut into the binding strip l6 and are bent over towards the center line of the backing plate. The bending of the spurs toward the center of the plate 18 creates a tensional force along the binding strip I6, and consequently draws the back H of cover Hl snugly over the convex surface of backing plate [8. For a more detailed description of the backing plate, the method of using it, and the particular features thereof, see Patent No. 1,790,779.

The binding mechanism 2|, indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3, may be of any well known form. As here shown, the mechanism includes a pair of oppositely disposed half rings 22, suitably attached to the ring plates 23. The ring plates are held under the compressive force of a spring plate 24 whereby the half rings 22 are maintained either in closed, or in open, position, in a manner well known to the art. A cover plate 25 serves to improve the appearance of the binding mechanism as a whole. The binding mechanism 2| is attached to the cover by placing it over the backing plate and turning down the tongues in the usual manner.

Referring again to the binding strip l6, it is apparent that the slit I1 could extend throughout the entire length thereof, thus dividing it into two pieces. While such construction could be used, more labor would be required to secure the strips to the cover, a part of its strength would be sacrificed, and the resulting broken edges would be unsightly. In the preferred construction the strip i6 is made of a length sub- 4 stantially equal to the length of the back II;

and the slit ll is made of a length substantially equal to the length of the backing plate I8. A strip of the preferred form, when stitched as shown in Fig. 1, forms a pocket which is substantially equal to the width of plate l8. However, the length of the pocket is somewhat greater than the length of the backing plate. This additional length, while not absolutely essential, simplifies the problem of inserting the backing plate into the pocket by allowing a longitudinal movement of the plate in the pocket during the insertion process. The unbroken edges of the strip, of course, lend a neat, and, hence attractive, appearance to the ends of the binder.

Stays M, as hereinbefore mentioned, are designed to protect the cover from indentation by the rings 22. Hence, the exact positioning of these stays will depend. upon the size of the back, and the size of the rings. While it has hereinbefore been stated that the stays are cemented to the cover, it is apparent that they might be secured to the binding strip prior to its attachment to the cover. Cementing, either in one place, or the other, is desirable because it prevents relative movement of the cover and stays, and hence, wear.

It is apparent from the foregoing description that this invention provides a construction which permits the use of a single-ply cover, without having any protuberances on the outside thereof; that it provides a cover which is particularly advantageous because it may be completely made up without including the backing plate, or the binding device; and that it provides a cover, made of single-ply material, or thin leather, which may be used in conjunction with a spurred type backing plate.

While the invention is particularly useful with single-ply covers, it is readily apparent that the same principle may be applied in manufacturing covers of thicker material; and whereas the drawing shows a preferred form of the invention, it is apparent that certain changes may be made therein without in any Way departing from the scope of the invention as limited by the ap What is claimed is:

1. In a temporary binder a cover having side portions and a back, a binding strip secured to the inside of said cover over the back thereof, a slit in said binding strip formed along the center line of the back, said binding strip and said cover forming a pocket into which a backing plate may be inserted through said slit.

2. In a temporary binder a cover having side portions and a back, a binding strip secured to the inside of said cover over the back thereof, a slit in said binding strip of a length less than the length of the back, said binding strip and said cover forming a pocket into which a backing plate may be inserted through said slit.

3. The combination with a binder cover, comprising back and side portions, of a strip of binding material disposed lengthwise of the inner surface of the back portion of the cover and secured thereto along its margins, the binding strip having a longitudinal slit therein and. an'unsecured portion extending along the'sides and ends of the slit, the length of the slit and the dimensions of the underlying pocket between the central portion of the binding strip and the cover back being such as to permit a backing plate for a metal binder mechanism to be inserted through the slit of the secured binding strip and into the pocket.

4. The method of assembling a cover for a temporary binder with a back plate, a pair of stays, and a slitted binding strip for said plate and stays which consists in applying to said cover guide marks visible at its interior as well as at its exterior surfaces, securing the stays to the interior surfaces of said cover in locations determined by the positions of said marks, temporarily attaching the binding strip to the interior of the back portion of the cover in a location determined by the positions of said marks, and with its marginal portions overlying the stays, permanently securing the binding strip to the cover by marginal stitching applied with the outer surface of the cover uppermost, using the marks as guides, inserting the back plate through the slit in the binding strip into the pocket between the binding strip and the cover back, and securing the portion of the binding strip along opposite sides of the slit to the underlying back plate. I

5. The method of assembling a cover for a'tem porary binder with a back plate and a slitted binding strip for said plate, which consists in applying to said cover guide marks visible at its interior as well as at its exterior surfaces, temporarily attaching the binding strip to the interior of the backiportion of the cover in a location determined by the positions of said marks, permanently securing the binding strip tofthe cover by marginal stitching applied with the outer surface of the cover uppermost, using the marks as guides, inserting the back plate through the slit in the binding strip into the pocket between the binding strip and the cover back, and securing the portion of the binding strip along opposite sides of the slit to the underlying back plate.

6. The method of making acovering for a temporary binder which consists in forming a plurality of lines which appear both on the outside and inside of the cover material, positioning a slitted binding strip on the inside of said cover material using said lines as guides, stitching said binding strip to said cover material from the outside thereof using saidlines as guides, and inserting a backing plate into the pocket formed between the cover material and binding strip through the slit in the binding strip.

7. The method of making a covering for a temporary binder which consists in forming a plurality of lines appearing both on the inside and outside of a cover, positioning a pair of stays on said cover using the lines as guides, positioning a longitudinally slitted binding strip on the inside of said cover over said stays, stitching the binding strip to said cover from the outside thereof using said lines as guides, said stitching being made on both sides of each of said stays and along both the top and bottom edges of said cover, and inserting a backing plate in the pocket formed between the cover and binding strip through the longitudinal slit formed in the binding strip.

8. The method of making a book cover using a single-ply material, which consists in imprinting a plurality of lines on the cover material which lines appear both on the inside and outside thereof, positioning a slitted binding strip on the inside of said cover material using said lines as guides, stitching the binding strip to the cover material from the outside thereof using said lines as guides, inserting a backing plate into" the pocket formed between the cover material and binding strip through the slit formed in the binding strip, and securing the backing plate to the binding strip by means of a plurality of spurs formed on the backing plate.

CLARENCE D. TRUSSELL. 

